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Talk:Abby/Eli/@comment-112.203.155.228-20150729130730/@comment-66.30.97.237-20150802021213
According to the director Matt Reeves, Abby's intentions toward Owen were intentionally vague and left open to interpretation. Kodi, the actor who played Owen, said in an interview that he personally thinks Owen's life after the movie would play out much like Thomas' life had; i.e. becoming Abby's guadrian, protecting her and helping to ensure her survival...until he gets too old and becomes a liability. He further states that he thinks Abby would eventually move on to a new boy, just as she ultimately did in the movie by transferring her attention from Thomas to Owen. I personally don't think she would turn Owen into a vampire. [I heard that in the Swedish version, Eli turned Oskar into a vampire, but this is about Abby and Owen -- two separate characters from a separate story that is inspired to a degree by Let the Right One In. The short story sequel applies only to the Swedish novel continuity, not the American film.] Abby has a lost of layers to her character; she's determined to survive at any cost, but also seems to feel this need to fill a void created by her sense of loneliness. Not for lack of trying, of course. She's understandably a recluse and basically told Owen to screw off in the beginning of the film, but ultimately she became fixated on him because of the fact that she's lonely -- a feeling which probably got worse as Thomas (her psuedo-father/caretaker) got older and more distant over the years. If she wanted a vampire for a companion, she could have done that to Thomas when she knew him as a child. The fact that she didn't makes it unlikely that Owen will recieve different treatment. Also, as lonely as Abby is, she seems to hold nothing but contempt for what she has become, and sadness for what she must do to live. She hates the vampire side of her, but has resigned herself to grudgingly accepting her fate. I can't picture her wanting to inflict that kind of hell on anyone else, whether its an adult or especially a child. I think that's part of the reason why she kills her victims after draining them of blood, just as she did to that jogger. Whatever her intentions were, it was a mercy killing. However, I also think her reason for lacking a vampire companion comes back to her overall objective -- i.e. her own survival. As a vampire, she is a predator and there is no room on her hunting grounds for a potential rival. She would also run the risk of being exposed to the public because having more than one vampire in the same place increases the probability of discovery. Finally, despite all the drawbacks of being a vampire, Abby's condition gives her power. To have another vampire nearby, even if it's someone she knows and cares about, would only take away her advantage. I don't know if she's intentionally manipulating Owen, but I think the best way to think about it is to analyze her relationship with Thomas. They seemed like they were close, once, but ultimately drifted apart as he got older and more bitter, not to mention jealous and fearful that Abby would ultimately replace him with a younger protector. I think she is aware of the influence she can have on young boys; I don't know if there were any before Thomas, but the years she spent with Thomas had advantages that Abby would have been aware of. For instance, it's much safer for her to let a human hunt and kill other humans for her. The less she ventures out into the world, the less likely she is of being discovered. Sleeping in the day can be hazardous for a vampire, so she requires a loyal human to protect her while she rests. I think Abby has found a niche when it comes to socially awkward boys like Owen and probably Thomas. They are easily allured by her, and once they fall into her thrawl, there is no escape...because they don't ever want to lose her. Thomas was exhausted, to say the least, but his loyalty remained constant. Incompetent as he was, he still went out and killed for her, albeit with remorse and weary resignation to his fate. He also poured acid on his own face for her and, realizing that his time was up, sacrificed his life to give Abby the blood she needed as a final act of service. As for Owen, he cried and became even more depressed than usual when Abby left him. When she came back, he was hers. That sort of loyalty is both a vital asset to Abby's physical and emotional security. On one hand, she needs a protector for practical reasons. At the same time, she needs a "friend" to alleviate some of diffulty that comes from her isolation. Some people seem to think that Abby's relationship with Owen would turn out differently than the one she had with Thomas, but I disagree. The ending was a strong indicator that Owen had already begun on his path to becoming Abby's new "caretaker" as opposed to only being a close friend. It does seem that she and Owen grew especially close to each other throughout the movie, but it was also apparent that she once had a similar relationship with Thomas. She didn't just set him aside, kill him and move on. Abby appeared to be genuinely distressed and saddened by the loss of someone who had been at her side for years. Despite all of that, grief did not do anything to stop her from moving on and completely focusing her attention on Owen. If Thomas' history with Abby is an indication of anything, it is that Abby's relationship with "Owen the child" will not be the same as her future relationship with "Owen the adult". I think she cared about Thomas, as she now cares about Owen. But when the time comes, as Kodi said, I believe that she will replace Owen with a younger companion. And it won't be out of malice. She would probably mourn him the way she did with Thomas, but in the end a companion (or friend, caretaker, whatever she wants to call it) is a means to an end: Her Survival.